#92T Don Gordon

Gordon was a strange choice to include in this set. He wasn't a rookie, having pitched in the bigs in 1986 and 1987, as you can see on the back. I guess Score didn't give him a card in the regular 1988 set (unlike Topps, which did.) It's also strange that they tucked him in the back of this update set, along with true rookies all around him.

At least they used a nice photo.

All kinds of unusual words on the back, including "Commercial Education", "Retail Management", and "Gamecocks."

#44T Ron Kittle

So, exactly how many shirts is Kittle wearing? Inside his uniform top, he appears to be wearing something like a gray tank top over a gray t-shirt. Wha..???

Interesting that Kittle's 35 homers were within 2 of the then-record for AL rookies. These days, that record is 49 HR.

#42T Willie Upshaw

Still more background comments, as here we see about two-thirds of the Indians second-baseman for 1988, Julio Franco (one of my favorite players.)

The copy on the back is a bit odd....Upshaw walked a decent amount, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he had "an eye for walks." He never finished in the top 10 in walks in any season, and he finished 59th (out of 153) in walks for players with 4500 to 5000 career plate appearances.

#11T Bud Black

CARD

Luis Salazar has his own card in this set, but he shows up here first on Black's card.

STAT

In 1987, Black allowed 8 HR in just 11 IP against the Texas Rangers. Ouch.

CAREER

At the moment, I'm wondering how much longer Black will be the Padres' manager. That team is totally screwed up, with their owner looking to dump players and probably sell the team. They don't have a lot of talent and Black doesn't have much to work with, unfortunately.